PaWaDacs

PaWaDacs is a research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, aimed at contributing to the modernization of the future of aviation communication. Launched in January 2022, this innovative project is being carried out in close coordination with its Austrian counterparts in the "twin-project" Cymodacs.

The PaWaDacs project is supported by a consortium consisting of the German air navigation service provider DFS, the German Aerospace Center DLR, Rohde & Schwarz and BPS, ensuring a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to achieving its ambitious goals.

The primary objective of this research project is to develop a reference LDACS ground installation, featuring two ground stations from Rohde & Schwarz and Frequentis. They implement two distinct coverage cells and will be used both for validating automatic cell handover and serving as future reference infrastructure to verify interoperability between different avionic radio vendors.

Additionally, an "avionic-like" demonstrator in the size of an ARINC 600 avionic form factor has been developed. This makes the demonstrator easy to install in aircraft for future experimental flight tests.

The reference ground installation is hosted at one operational DFS radio station in the vicinity of one international airport in Germany. DFS provided all the clearances for operating the LDACS frequencies without impairing the daily ATC operations.

The avionic demonstrator is installed in a DFS vehicle simulating the aircraft movements in the surrounding area to validate smooth handover of LDACS coverage cells and a seamless IP communication.

By achieving this milestone, we will unlock new possibilities for efficient, secure, and reliable data exchange between aircraft and ground, ultimately enhancing the safety and efficiency of air travel.